Stories About Us
by sue-sylvester-shuffle
Summary: (AU of 1x5) Pro-bending is never easy. Of course, it's a lot harder when your earthbender is sick, your waterbender is distracted, and your firebender is just angry at everyone. (BORRA.)


**AN:** I started this fic last October! I've been finishing a bunch of my old ATLA/LOK fics. Anyway, as I've said before, I really like Korrasami. I wouldn't change anything about the ending, even though I prefer Borra. Enjoy!

xXx

They first noticed that something was wrong with Bolin during practice one morning, when one particularly hard swing of an earth disc caused the earthbender to fall into a fit of coughing. Korra and Mako waited a moment for him to catch his breath, and then the firebender spoke. "You okay, Bo?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." replied Bolin confidently. "Just a little cold, it's nothing."

"Maybe you should take a break from practicing." suggested Korra, resting her elbow on one of Bolin's bulky shoulders and peering up into his face.

Bolin shook his head. "No way! We've got a really important match tonight! I wouldn't miss it for the world _._ "

"That's the spirit, Bolin." Mako said, giving his brother an approving nod.

"Are you sure you'll be okay to play for tonight?" Korra asked.

"Of course he is!" his brother hissed.

"You'd rather win the match than have your brother be healthy!?" Korra shot back.

Bolin's light green eyes were wide, darting from her to Mako and back again. Even he could feel the tension that had just entered the room. "Uh, guys, I'm alright. I can play the match tonight."

"Okay." snapped Korra. "Fine."

"I'm done practicing for now." Mako grumbled. He turned around and stormed out of the room, leaving Korra and Bolin to stare after him.

Once the firebender was gone, Korra sighed and smacked herself on the forehead. "We're gonna be such a mess tonight." she groaned.

"You got that right." added Bolin. He started to laugh, and despite her anxiety, Korra did too.

"Hey, are you hungry?" asked Korra once they both stopped laughing.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm _starving._ " she answered. "Wanna go out and get something to eat?"

Bolin's whole face lit up. "Yeah! Let's go!" he exclaimed. "But first let's change out of our uniforms, okay?"

"We don't want to keep 'em on and impress everyone?"

"Yeah, impress everyone with how sweaty we are."

xXx

Five minutes. Five minutes to the match.

The Fire Ferrets were dressed in full Pro-Bending attire, waiting with bated breath for the loud cheer from the crowd that signaled their entrance.

"Okay. We got this." Bolin said, clapping his hands together and grinning. "Go Fire Ferrets, okay?"

"Yeah! Go Fire Ferrets!" agreed Korra. The grin on her face matched his exactly.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Mako hissed, pulling his helmet on.

The other two glanced over at him, frowning. "Come on, Mako. Don't ruin the mood." Bolin pleaded. "We're excited here. I feel like we're gonna win for sure!"

Before any of them could speak again, there was a loud call of, "Now, ladies and gentlemen… the Future Industries… _Fire Ferrets!_ " from the ring.

"We're up!" gasped Korra, yanking her helmet on. Bolin did the same, and then the three of them ran out. The crowd went wild at the sight of the team, and all three of them waved and grinned.

As they were walking onto the ring, Bolin seemed to get a lot paler. Still waving, Korra leaned in close to him and whispered, "I'll try to cover you if I can. Don't worry."

"I'm not worried!" the earthbender protested. "It's just _you_ who's worried!"

The cheering continued as the opposing team came on, and then it died down as the announcer started to speak. "Alright, ladies and gents, we've got an exciting match for you tonight! The Fire Ferrets versus the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps!" The crowd cheered again briefly, and then the announcer continued. "So, without further ado… we'll let them get to their match! Ready… set… _go!_ "

Both teams sprang immediately into action as soon as the bell was rung. The opposing team's firebender sent a blast of fire toward Bolin, but Korra leapt in front and battled the flames with water. Bolin sent a flurry of earth discs toward the firebender, just as the opposing earthbender went for Mako. Water, fire, and earth discs were flying through the air, going this way and that. All six benders were putting up a very good fight. Just then, the opposing waterbender sent a powerful spray of water at Korra and Bolin. It was enough to send them both flying back into Zone Two. Korra stumbled, however, and ended up in Zone Three.

"That's got to hurt the Fire Ferrets!" exclaimed the announcer. "Their earthbender is in Zone Two, their waterbender's in Zone Three! How are they going to get back on their feet now!?"

Mako bent a burst of fire at the opposing waterbender, knocking him into Zone Two. Korra and Bolin both sent attacks at the other two. The firebender was knocked back, nearly into Zone Two, but managed to stay in Zone One. The earthbender deflected the attack and sent an earth disc flying at Korra. She dodged it, and bent a wave of water at him. This attack hit him and he was sent flying into Zone Two.

"I wouldn't have believed it if you'd told me!" the announcer shouted. "The playing field's way more even now! The Fire Ferrets are back in the game!"

Mako and the opposing firebender, both still in Zone One, sent fire at each other. The opposing earthbender sent another disc flying at Korra, hoping to knock her off, but she dodged it. She sent a burst of water at him just as Bolin sent an earth disc flying at the waterbender. Both of them dodged, and attacked Korra and Bolin.

Korra ducked under the earth disc thrown at her, but the waterbender's attack was a perfect hit on Bolin, slamming him square in the chest. With a gasp, the earthbender flew out of Zone Two, through Zone Three, and toppled right over the edge.

"There goes the Fire Ferrets' earthbender!" yelled the announcer. Mako cursed, and Korra looked behind her. _Where was Bolin?_ He wasn't surfacing. He should have surfaced by then…

A wave of fear zapped her like an electric fence, just as the announcer said, "But where is he? Ladies and gentlemen, the Fire Ferrets' earthbender is nowhere to be seen!"

Without a second thought, Korra launched herself off of the platform and dove into the water. She was barely aware of the announcer yelling to the entire stadium, recounting what she had just done, as she was under the water after mere seconds.

Korra could see Bolin. He was floating, suspended in the cool blue water. She swam down to where he was, and wrapped her arms around his torso. Once she had a good grip on his bulky form, Korra swam back up to the surface, dragging her friend with her. She then threw him up onto the side of the large pool area, and pulled herself up next to him. The whole crowd was muttering and whispering, until the announcer screamed, "There he is, ladies and gentlemen! The Avatar just rescued her teammate from drowning! Now _that's_ teamwork!"

Panting, Korra looked up at the crowd briefly to see that they were all cheering. A surge of pride rushed up inside of her, but she couldn't relax until she got Bolin conscious again. She pressed hard on the earthbender's chest, over and over. After a few tense seconds, Bolin rolled over, and coughed up a mouthful of water. Korra sighed, as relief settled over her like a warm blanket. She pulled off Bolin's helmet and then patted him on the back, helping him to get all of the water he had swallowed up.

"Everything alright down there?" the announcer called down to them.

"He's going to be fine!" Korra shouted back. The audience cheered again.

Once Bolin managed to stop coughing and choking, he lay panting for a moment before looking up at Korra. "You saved me." he whispered.

"Yeah." Korra murmured in response, stroking his hair. Most of the gel he used to keep it down had come out when he fell into the water, and his dark hair was spilling out over his forehead. She had to admit, he looked pretty handsome with his hair all messy.

"Will you quit saving me already?" Bolin joked weakly. "This is the second time in, like, a week."

Korra laughed. "Always the funny guy, huh? You almost drowned just now. Will you give the jokes a break?"

"Never." Bolin said. Despite how cold they both were, his cheeks were dusted with pink.

Just then, the announcer's loud voice rang out again. "I've just spoken to the referee, and we have decided to postpone this game due to special circumstances. The Fire Ferrets will not be eliminated- but for the rematch, all three of their players will start in Zone Two. Does this seem fair to both our teams?"

"Yes." Korra heard one of the Bau Ling Buzzard Wasps say. She wasn't sure which bender it was. "That seems fair to us."

"Us as well. Thank you." Mako's voice drifted down to her. He sounded grudging, and more than a little bit annoyed. _Come on,_ she thought angrily. _Your brother didn't drown. Isn't that good enough for you!?_

Korra stood up, and pulled Bolin to his feet. They were both still dripping wet, so she waterbent the water off of them and let it splash back into the pool. "Why don't we go back upstairs?" she suggested.

Bolin nodded, and she looped her arm around his. He blushed even more. Korra enjoyed walking arm-in-arm with him, but mostly she did it so that she could help support him without having to ask him if he needed help. She knew he would say no. So off they went, arm-in-arm, up to the attic where the brothers lived.

As they went up the stairs, Bolin said, "Korra, I'm so sorry."

"For what?" she asked.

"For costing us the match." the earthbender explained. "For making you come save me."

"Bolin, don't apologize for that!" exclaimed Korra. "You almost _drowned._ You almost _died!_ I'm just glad I could save you."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

He smiled. "Thanks, Korra. I don't think I said thanks before… you know, for saving me."

"Ah, it's nothing." Korra said, letting go of him so that he could unlock the door to the apartment. "Just a day's work for the Avatar, right?"

Bolin laughed. "Yeah, pretty much." He opened the door, and the two of them went in.

"Why don't you get into your pyjamas while I get some food together?" suggested Korra. "I always get really hungry after Pro-Bending."

"I'm not hungry." Bolin told her as he went into his room.

"I never said anything about making food for _you._ "

Korra made a sandwich from what she found in Bolin and Mako's fridge, and then Bolin came back out of his room. He was dressed in a simple white undershirt and a pair of striped green pyjama pants. "Do you want me to pack up your sandwich for you?" he offered.

"No, I'm going to eat it here." she told him, taking a big bite. "I'm going to stay here with you too."

"You don't have to do that, Korra." Bolin said.

"I know I don't have to." she replied. "I _want_ to. There's nothing worse than being stuck at home, sick, with nothing to do. So I'm gonna stay here and keep you company."  
"But you've already done so much for me…"

"You'd do the same thing for me, right? Like, if I were sick, would you keep me company?"

"Of course!" exclaimed Bolin.

"See? That's just what friends are for."

A smile spread across the earthbender's face. "Aw, Korra, you're the best. I'd hug you, but I don't want you to get sick."

The Avatar put down her sandwich and went over to give Bolin a big hug. "Don't worry, Bo, I've got the immune system of a tiger shark."

After a few moments of hugging, Korra went back over to her sandwich. Bolin said, "Listen… I'd love to hang out and stuff, but I'm really tired… y'know, almost died and all… mind if I take a quick nap?"

"Oh yeah, no problem!" Korra replied. "Go on, I'll just eat everything from your fridge."

He laughed. "I hope you know you're paying for everything you eat."

"Then I hope you know you're saving yourself next time."

Grinning, the earthbender went back into his room. Korra chuckled to herself as she ate her sandwich. She really did have a great time when she was with Bolin. If they had so much fun together, why was it Mako she liked…? Did she even like him anymore, after the way he had acted? Had she ever liked him in the first place?

Korra's mind was full of questions. She vowed to think about them all thoroughly- but later. Right now, she had a sandwich to tackle.

xXx

Once Korra had finished a few sandwiches, and had a new one all ready to devour, she realized that she hadn't checked up on Bolin yet. The Avatar took a big bite of her sandwich and then abandoned it to go into the earthbender's room.

He was fast asleep in his bed, snoring softly. Korra leaned down and gently felt his forehead. He was warm, but not burning up yet, thankfully. She brushed his dark hair from his face and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. Bolin shifted a bit in his sleep, mumbling something inaudible. Korra took one of his hands in hers.

"You two look pretty cozy."

Korra jumped, dropping Bolin's hand. She whirled around to see Mako standing in the doorway. His arms were crossed, his amber eyes cold. "Mako!" she gasped, embarrassment settling onto her. She wasn't sure why, though.

"I can't believe we had to postpone the match." complained Mako. "We should've never let Bolin play."

"That's what I told you from the beginning!" snapped Korra. "I knew we should have let him rest, and now look what's happened."

Mako's eyes shifted over to Bolin, who was still asleep in his bed. "How is he?" asked the firebender.

"He's fine." Korra replied coldly.

"Well enough that he could have kept playing?"

"Mako, you _can't_ blame him for this." hissed Korra, her voice dangerously calm. "None of this is Bolin's fault. Why do you care so much, anyway? We get a rematch. We'll play them again when Bolin's not sick, and then we'll kick their butts."

"Fine." Mako said. "Take care of Bolin for me." With that, he turned around and left the room. As he was leaving, Bolin gave a few quiet coughs in his sleep. Mako turned around, taking in the sight of his brother, sick, while _someone else_ took care of him. He didn't look for long, though, and soon enough he was out of the apartment.

Korra watched him slam the door, and she sighed. Just then, Bolin spoke up, his usually-energetic voice slow and sleepy. "Mm… hi, Korra." Almost immediately, he broke off into a fit of coughing. Korra pulled him into a sitting position and gently patted his back.

"Sorry, did I wake you up?" she asked as his coughing died down.

"Not unless you just slammed a door." Bolin murmured. "Was that Mako I heard just now?"

Korra nodded. "Yeah. He just came in to guilt-trip me saying that we should have never let you play, which I said in the first place!"

"Does he blame me?" Bolin asked in a small voice.

"Well… no." Korra said. She was a terrible liar, however, and Bolin could see it loud and clear. He frowned. Seeing the disappointment on the earthbender's face, Korra continued quickly. "But, hey! Don't be sad. You're gonna get to spend a few days with me, 'cause I'm not leaving until you're back to your normal self again."

This put a smile on his pale face. "Every cloud has a silver lining, huh?"

Korra nodded. "Yep. Hey, are you thirsty? I could get you some water, if you want. Or soup? It would take me, like, ten minutes to run down to the store…"

"No, I'm good. I'd rather you just stay here with me, if that's okay?" asked Bolin sheepishly.

She grinned back, and sat down on the bed next to him. "Yeah, of course."

"Hey, Korra?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Will you tell me a story?" When Korra looked mildly surprised, Bolin continued. "Yeah, I know, it's kind of dumb. But whenever I was sick when Mako and I were kids, he would tell me stories… it made me feel better. And I wouldn't normally ask you, but Mako is, um… he isn't here."

"Of course I will." said Korra immediately. There was no question in her mind that she would do it. "My stories aren't very good, though. Just be warned."

The earthbender laughed. "Oh, that doesn't matter."

"Okay, here goes. Umm… once upon a time… oh, that's cliche. Well, whatever. Once upon a time, there were three Pro-benders who were all really powerful. One waterbender, one earthbender, and one firebender. Anyway, they were on a team together called the, um, 'Flaming Ferrets'." She cringed, but Bolin laughed, so she continued. "The waterbender was friends with the firebender, but he was kind of rude. The earthbender was probably her best friend, though, except for Naga, her, uh, sister."

"I didn't know you were part polar bear dog." teased Bolin, smirking.

She grinned. "Hey, shut up and enjoy the story. So, yeah, the waterbender and the earthbender were pretty much best friends. But things were pretty complicated because the waterbender had feelings for the firebender-"

The smile slid off of Bolin's face. "What?"

Korra's blood ran cold. She had been talking without thinking, and of course whether or not she actually liked Mako was what she was thinking about. Quickly, she continued. "-but the firebender was always such a jerk to her, _and_ the earthbender, so the waterbender realized that dating the firebender would be the worst idea in the _world,_ and maybe the person who was right for her was actually the earthbender all along…"

She was hoping that Bolin would smile again, that his celery-green eyes would light up like they always did, but his frown stayed. "Korra… you like Mako?"

"Maybe. I don't know." she admitted, drawing her knees up to her chest tightly. "Everything is just so confusing for me right now. I mean… obviously he's really handsome and all, but just like the firebender in the story, he's a real jerk. And I would never be with someone based on looks alone."

Her teammate stared down at the floor. His bulky arms were crossed, and there was the faintest hint of a pout on his lips. "I can't believe it." he said. "Mako always gets all the girls. And finally, _finally_ there's someone I actually _really_ like… but of course, you like Mako. _Everyone_ loves Mako."

Guilt tore at the young Avatar. Despite that, his words stuck in her brain. _Finally there's someone I actually really like,_ he'd said. Korra knew that Bolin was fascinated with her, but was there a chance that he had feelings for her, too?

"Can I finish the story?" she asked softly.

"Whatever." Bolin grumbled.

"So, during their next Pro-bending match, the earthbender almost drowned." continued Korra. "The waterbender had to save his life. Which she didn't mind, of course. Anyway… she was so worried about him. While she was holding him as he coughed up water, the waterbender realized that… she couldn't live without the earthbender. And although the firebender was handsome, so was the earthbender, and he was also the sweetest, most caring person she had ever met. So, she wanted to ask him to please not be mad at her, and also tell him that she loved him."

For a few moments, Bolin looked stunned. "Really?" he said finally. "You love- I mean, the waterbender loved the earthbender?"

"Yes, she did." Korra responded. "And then, the earthbender told the waterbender that he loved her too. They lived happily ever after. The end."

He beamed, and Korra couldn't help but grin back at him. "You can tell the future?" asked the earthbender.

"At least I hope I can."

Bolin's grin widened, which Korra hadn't thought was even possible. "Oh, Korra, I… I really want to kiss you right now, but I'm sick, and-"

Korra leaned in and pressed her lips to his. She was pleased to find out that it felt _right._ Bolin had been the right choice, after all. Just like the earthbender in the story, he was the sweetest, most caring person she had ever met. She couldn't live without him, that's for sure. After all, there was just something about Bolin that made her feel like she could do anything she put her mind to. Maybe that was because in his eyes, she could.

When she finally pulled away, Bolin said, "Korra, you didn't have to do that. Now you're going to get sick too!"

"I won't get sick, I swear." Korra replied. "I have the immune system of a tiger shark, remember?"

The earthbender laughed. "Yeah, I remember." All of a sudden, he broke off into another fit of coughing. Korra gently rubbed his back.

"Maybe you should get some more rest, big guy." she told him.

"Maybe." Bolin agreed once he caught his breath. "Will you stay with me?"

"Of course." Korra smiled, and lay down on the bed next to him. After the stressful day of Pro-bending and Bolin almost drowning, she could probably use a nap. She rested her head on one of his muscular arms, and sighed in relaxation.

"I loved that story, by the way, Korra." Bolin murmured.

"Me too."

end


End file.
